Former Valencian president Carlos Mazón has appointed his long-time chief of staff, José Manuel Cuenca, as the first advisor in his newly established Office of the Former President, a post that will carry a lifetime salary of up to €58,000 a year.
Mazón is entitled to this office following his departure from the presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana. The role provides a permanent office, two advisors, an official vehicle with driver and security — benefits that are granted for life under current regulations. Mazón moved swiftly, opening his office in a central Alicante building overlooking the seafront on the very day his dismissal was formalised.
Cuenca’s appointment has been confirmed on the Generalitat’s website, although it has not yet been published in the Official Gazette of the Valencian Community (DOGV). His exact salary has therefore not been officially disclosed. However, based on the 2024 pay scale for temporary staff, advisors to former presidents are typically placed in Category C1, earning approximately €57,500 to €58,000 per year, paid in 14 instalments.
This is the same category held by advisors to other former presidents, including Francisco Camps, Alberto Fabra and Ximo Puig.
Cuenca, a journalist from Alicante, was removed from his role as Mazón’s chief of staff during a restructuring led by Juanfran Pérez Llorca, which saw most of Mazón’s inner circle dismissed.
Since then, he has remained in the public spotlight due to his appearances before the Catarroja court and the parliamentary commission investigating the DANA storm, where his testimony drew attention. He has since been summoned again by the judge and has agreed to a confrontation with former councillor Salomé Pradas.
Lifetime Privileges
In addition to the advisory appointments, Mazón retains further entitlements as a former president. He may receive a €75,000 annual salary as a member of the Consell Jurídic Consultiu for a period equivalent to his time in office — around two and a half years — though he has not yet activated this option.
For now, Mazón remains a member of the Valencian Parliament, which grants him parliamentary immunity amid the ongoing DANA investigation. He is currently earning around €61,000 per year, including a €9,000 party bonus after being named committee spokesperson by the Valencian People’s Party.
Office with Sea Views
Mazón’s office is located on the sixth floor of the Monaco building on Calle Ingeniero Lafarga in Alicante, between the Explanada and San Fernando Street. The 160-square-metre premises, formerly occupied by the Provincial Consumer Arbitration Board, features multiple rooms, sea views and prominent institutional symbols, including the flags of Spain, the Valencian Community and the European Union.
The appointment of Cuenca marks the first step in staffing an office that, despite Mazón’s short term in office, will remain in place for the rest of his life.
